


No, no, it's my treat.

by ThunderAndMadness



Series: 100 Ways To Say I Love You [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: 100 ways to say i love you, Fluff, In Which Morgan Occasionally Has Flashbacks to the Time He And Gideon Went To Waffle House, In Which Reid Just Really Loves Waffles, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash, Waffle House, it could be either honestly these dorks love each other and don't know what to do about it, joke stolen from Game of Thrones, sorry bout that, this fic ends in a Fade To Black just so y'all know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 16:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7230562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThunderAndMadness/pseuds/ThunderAndMadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Neither of them knows how to acknowledge it or say anything about it aside from the occasional joke about Morgan's big dumb crush on Reid.</p><p>Nobody makes Morgan laugh like Reid, and yeah, that might make both of them seem kind of dorky when there's milk coming out of Morgan's nose at 11 PM in a Waffle House in Quantico."</p><p>Part 3 of "100 Ways to Say I Love You".</p>
            </blockquote>





	No, no, it's my treat.

Morgan is pretty sure the BAU has seen the inside of more Waffle Houses than is strictly healthy.

Sometimes it's all of them, crowded into one over large booth in the unholy hours of the morning. Sometimes it's only three or four. He ended up alone with Gideon once, gravely eating bacon as if this weren't the most uncomfortable thing ever.

Today he's alone with Reid, which is less weird than it seems because the kid is just endlessly fascinating. Partially because he knows everything about everything and will explain without hesitation, but also partially because he's Morgan's best friend. They have a "more than friends" thing going on, too, but neither of them knows how to acknowledge it or say anything about it aside from the occasional joke about Morgan's big dumb crush on Reid.

Still, even if they never make it official, Morgan could spend hours in a Waffle House with his best friend. Nobody makes Morgan laugh like Reid, and yeah, that might make both of them seem kind of dorky when there's milk coming out of Morgan's nose at 11 PM in a Waffle House in Quantico. But hey, he has to admit: the existentialist lightbulb joke is funny. And once he gets Reid going, they get into really weird joke territory.

Reid is in the middle of a joke. "So a senator walks into a brothel. He's carrying a honeycomb and leading a jackass. And the madam says--"

Their waitress clears her throat. "So which one of y'all had the strawberry waffles and which is the eggs and home fries?"

"Waffles," Reid says. He's blushing, probably from being caught in the middle of a brothel joke. The waitress puts a massive stack of waffles in front of him. She turns to Morgan.

"You make sure that skinny boy gets fed, hon. He looks fit to fall down." She's a sturdy middle aged woman who kind of reminds Morgan of an older Prentiss, around the eyes, and if Prentiss had red hair piled atop her head.

"Yes, ma'am," Morgan says, because he has no idea what to say to that and wants her to relinquish his eggs. She sets the plate down on the table and leaves in a way that can only be described as bustling.

Morgan grins at Reid, who's already shoveling waffles into his mouth. "You heard her, Pretty Boy. Better finish those waffles."

Reid rolls his eyes and swallows. "I'm not that skinny and I'm not going to fall over," he says. "Lane. Stay in it."

It's at this moment, watching Reid dump synthetic syrup onto his stack of waffles, that Morgan is reminded he could spend his whole life with this kid and not have a single qualm. He remembers this every so often, while watching Reid write on a whiteboard or shuffle a deck of cards or shove waffles into his mouth like they're going out of style.

"What?" Reid asks.

Morgan snaps out of it. "Hmm?"

"You were giving me a weird look."

Morgan shrugs. He doesn't really know how to explain the giant melting feeling he's experiencing in his stomach, like everything is turning into lava, but in a good way. Reid probably has better words for this.

Reid is blushing again. "You just remembered your gigantic crush on me, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Morgan says. Reid quirks an eyebrow.

When they've finished and the bustling waitress has brought their check, Reid reaches for his wallet.

"No, no, kid. My treat," Morgan says, because he doesn't know how to acknowledge the way he feels and this is the best he can do.

Reid looks kind of surprised. "Thank you," he says. He's got this dopey smile on his face. It looks out of place, incongruous with his hyperactive mind.

"What?" Morgan asks.

Reid startles. "I- I just really like waffles," he says.

"I know, kid, I know."

It's about midnight, and they're in a Waffle House, and somehow they're the happiest people on earth, despite everything they've seen. Morgan gives thanks to whoever is up there for this.

He also ends the moment fairly quickly,  
before it crosses from intimate to uncomfortable. "What did the Madam say to the Senator?"

Reid laughs. "So the Madam says..."

**Author's Note:**

> The list of ways to say "I love you" can be found [here.](http://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) More parts to come. 
> 
> As they said in my heyday, concrit always appreciated. I love comments. (And if anyone knows what the madam said, comment it below!)


End file.
